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Monado
The Monado (English dub: ) is a mythical sword in Xenoblade Chronicles. The reasons of its existence and powers are the core of the story. It is said to be the weapon used by the Bionis in its war with Mechonis. Characteristics The Monado is a powerful energy blade that can manipulate the ether around it, and with it, change the material and immaterial shape of the world. The use of the Monado depends on the will of its user; most Homs who try to use the sword cannot control it. At the beginning of the game, the Monado can't harm any being born from Bionis. The Monado grants its elected wielder the power of foresight. It is said that foresight is possible because all of the ether in the world is calculable in its changes. The Monado emits a particular ether wavelength in its ground state that attracts Telethia. Also, the Monado can be counteracted by using opposing particles of the ones the Monado uses. All of the seers must touch the Monado to receive their divination powers. Story Expedition of Colony 9 A decade before the game, a group of Homs explorers left Colony 9 in search of the fabled sword. Their travels took them to Valak Mountain, where they disappeared. After them went Dickson, who found the bodies of the research team in the Sealed Tower, next to the Monado. He took the weapon along with the only survivor, who would grow up to be Shulk. The Battle of Sword Valley The first known Hom wielder of the Monado, Dunban, was able to somewhat control the sword and use it as a weapon against the Mechon at Sword Valley. In doing so, he was able to thwart an attack against Colony 9. Due to sheer discipline and strength he could wield the blade, even though he could not fully control it. Thus, Dunban unknowingly sacrificed the use of his right arm for victory in the battle against the Mechon. After the battle, he said to Shulk: "The next time will be your turn". The Heir of the Monado Shulk is the heir of the Monado. He has dedicated his entire life to solving the secrets of the blade and thus is not only able to wield the blade without problems, but also able to unlock its great power. Shulk experiences this great power for the first time when he sees the future while holding the Monado in his Lab. However, he learns that he has no control over what he sees, so he did not know he was granted foresight at the beginning. When the Mechon attack Colony 9, Dunban, not yet recovered from his injuries, tries to use the Monado. When the Monado is flung out of Dunban's hand, Shulk picks up the Monado, shouting, "This time... is my time!" At this point, he gains the ability to predict the future (not by choice). Thanks to the Monado's foresight, Shulk avoids getting killed. However, he is unable to damage Metal Face in any way with the Monado, which leaves him helpless against the Mechon as he kills Fiora. The Future in Shulk's Hand Shulk and Reyn decide to avenge Fiora and set out for Colony 6. While in Tephra Cave, Shulk has a vision—he sees the Arachno Queen killing Reyn. The prediction proves true when Shulk and Reyn fall into the Arachno Queen's Nest. Shulk unlocks another Monado ability, the Shield, allowing him to change the future that the Monado had predicted. After this event, Shulk is able to use the foresight in all battles, and subsequently able to use the Shield to defend against enemy arts. This prescience becomes a principal topic of the game. Makna Forest While looking for ether crystals in Makna Forest, Shulk is attacked alone by strange monsters. When he tries to confront them, he is unable to face them, as they can read his thoughts. However, a Hom by the name of Alvis manages to control the blade and unlocks another power of the Monado. He explains that the Monado does not control its power, but its user does. Alcamoth The party learns in the High Entia capital that the Monado was sealed away by the High Entia forefathers. When the party follows Sorean to Prison Island, they meet a giant by the name of Zanza, who was also locked away by the same forefathers. He claims to be the creator of the Monado, and offers to remove the shackles that prevent the Monado from harming beings of Bionis if he is released. Shulk agrees, and even though Zanza apparently dies, the Monado is released, and Shulk can finally harm Faced Mechon. However, he can hear the voice of Zanza through the blade for the first time. Egil and the Monado The leader of Mechon, Egil, uses the Apocrypha Generator in Galahad Fortress to revert the Monado to its inert state. Even after the battle ends, Shulk still cannot use the Monado. He finally forces it to awaken, but the use of the Monado is now taxing to him. He learns from Meyneth in Agniratha that the Monado was used against Mechonis and the Machina by Zanza. Monado: God's Weapon When the group slays Yaldabaoth, Egil explains that Zanza inhabits beings of Bionis to live, and its soul dwells in the Monado. He tells the story of Arglas, and how Zanza used his body to wage war against the Mechonis. After the battle he was incarcerated in Prison Island and the Monado was sealed in Ose Tower. Dickson shoots Shulk with his rifle and Zanza leaves Shulk's body, revealing that the Monado is the weapon of creation, withholder of Zanza's soul. After this revelation, Meyneth comes out from Fiora's body and uses her Monado (the symbol which appears on Fiora's chest) to battle Zanza. When Zanza defeats Meyneth, he takes Meyneth's Monado. With it, Zanza no longer needs to inhabit a living being to survive. It is possible that Zanza did not know that there was another Monado, Shulk's Monado. Alvis When the group slays Zanza for the last time, a light connects the three Monados. After this, a voice can be heard: it is Alvis, who says he is the Monado. He says that Shulk is a god now because he has found his Monado, and that he can decide the fate of all the universe. Arts Shulk can activate the Monado's Arts by selecting the large icon in the center of the screen when it is fully charged. He then has access to the various Arts the Monado can perform. Each Art is unlocked at various points in the game, with only Buster and Enchant being available initially. In the beginning the Monado arts can only reach level 4. After the events on Prison Island, all of the Arts can reach level 10. * Buster: powerful attack with a larger blade. Deals double the damage to Mechon and Machina. * Enchant: strengthens the weapons of the party. Allows normal weapons to damage Mechon. * Shield: generates a barrier that protects the party from enemy talent arts of the same level or lower. * Speed: gives the target a greater chance to dodge physical attacks. * Purge: ranged ether blast that inflicts Aura Seal and nullifies Spike effects. * Armor: reduces physical and ether damage taken. Percentage (30%-75%) depends on this Art's level. * Cyclone: damages all enemies around the user and inflicts topple on enemies suffering from break. * Eater: strips away enemy buffs and causes bleed damage in a frontal cone. Trivia * The name of the Monado is likely derived from the philosophical idea of the monad, which can be traced back to use in ancient Greece. It is generally used to describe some kind of indivisible unit, and in philosophy, the basic, indivisible underlying element of reality (whatever that philosophy purports that to be - e.g. God, energy, material). The term is used in Gottfried Leibnez's philosophy and in Gnosticism (among many others), which in turn links Xenoblade Chronicles in theme to Tetsuya Takahashi's other works, Xenosaga and Xenogears. In chemistry, the term monad represents an atom with a valence of one. * In italian version of game Monado is called Monade. Its name is probably derived from homonym greek word. * In various cutscenes, the symbol displayed in the Monado says what it is capable of killing. When Shulk begins the game, the Monado displays the symbol for "Machine". When Zanza is freed on Prison Island and Shulk gets the Monado II, it says "Person". During the final battle, when Zanza looks at Shulk's Monado III and says "That Symbol...", it is becaue the symbol now displayed says "god". * Despite the game's lore saying the Monado cannot harm anything born of Bionis, in gameplay it has no difficulty harming any of the monsters that inhabit Bionis. * According to a post in a forum here, one person's description of the Monado greatly describes its use and the ending. "Look up the word "monad" (wiki link). It represents both the primal aspect of God in Gnosticism. That is, it refers to the wholeness of God himself AND it's a programming concept defining how several different functions are chained together. Now, something that is both the prime aspect of God and a programming tool? Yeah. That's the Monado. So named because it's a monad in more ways than once. The ending does not come from nowhere at all. It's right there in the name of the sword from the very beginning of the game. A Monado is a divine tool that can both read the programming of the world and rewrite it. Resulting in visions and the ability to change otherwise predestined outcomes. So, is it the key to the experiment? Nah, but close. It's root access to the code. The ability to change variables on the fly. When you master the Monados, you become a god within the world. Which brings us to Alvis. He, on the other hand, IS the key to experiment. Or rather, he's both the overseer and input terminal for a Monado wielder. That's why Shulk had to go through Alvis to make the new world. Shulk had the access, but Alvis did the coding at Shulk's request. It sort of makes sense, but it's a Monolith Soft game. The Xeno- prefix should have been ample warning." Gallery shield.jpg|Monado - Shield enchant.jpg|Monado - Enchant speed.jpg|Monado - Speed Shulk with Monado.jpg|Monado 2 - Buster Purge .jpg|Monado-Purge Xenoblade-sword-artwork-1.jpg|The sword as it appears on the official website page. Monado in Lab.jpg|Monado in the Lab monado.jpg|Monado monado 2.jpg|Monado II 3rd monado.jpg|Monado III Znz.jpg|Zanza using his Monado ZanzaSecondForm.jpg|Zanza (alternate 2nd form) weilding an altered version of Meyneth's Monado Replica Monado.jpg|Replica Monado Monado Rudra.jpg|(Replica) Monado Rudra Monado Agni.jpg|(Replica) Monado Agni Monado Abyss.jpg|(Replica) Monado Abyss Monado Dogma.jpg|(Replica) Monado Dogma Monado Saga.jpg|(Replica) Monado Saga Meyneth Monado.jpg|Meyneth's Monado (altered to Fiora's double-blade attack style) Category:weapons Category:Items Category:Shulk Category:Pages with spoilers Category:Monado Category:Images